Chapter 26: The Road Ahead

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"Yes, apart from the glory passed down by my ancestors, I had nothing until not long ago, and now I have five thousand elite troops, a reputation among the feudal lords, and the foundation to restore the Han Dynasty!" Liu Bei said with a somewhat dim expression that gradually became exuberant as he spoke, his eyes seemingly shining brightly as he looked at Chen Xi.

"Indeed, you've gained so much, but it's still not enough, far from enough, too far behind. Not to compare with the Yuan Family, known from Four Generations Three Dukes, even compared with some local tyrants, except for reputation everything else falls far short!" Chen Xi said with an unmistakable sneer on his face. Too green, Liu Bei was still too green!

"Please enlighten me, Teacher," Liu Bei said seriously as he straightened up. Since the time Liu Bei was ranked among the feudal lords, this was the first time he was speaking to Chen Xi with such gravity.

"No need for such formality," Chen Xi waved his hand and said, "Reputation seems important, apparently able to garner a lot. But reputation is insubstantial; strength is what's most important!"

"During the time of Duke Xiao of Qin, the Qin State was so weak that it wasn't even invited to the banquets of the alliance of feudal lords, and no talents from across the land entered Western Qin. Then Shang Yang came to Qin, defeated Wei soldiers at Hexi, and established Western Qin's strong military foundation. From then on, people called it tyrannical! Thenceforth, many talents flocked to Xianyang! The feudal lords of Guandong feared Qin like a tiger!" Chen Xi's face revealed a trace of fanaticism.

"Feudal lords vying for power sought substance over reputation. For three hundred years across the Spring and Autumn period, there was no righteousness, only interest!" Chen Xi sneered repeatedly, the object of struggle in times of chaos had long ago been written clearly before him.

Liu Bei fell silent, slowly closed his eyes, and when he reopened them, there was not a trace of hesitation, "Zichuan, to be honest, I have never thought that someone could see all this so clearly, so brightly."

"It's nothing, all these things are simple. As a monarch, one doesn't need to know everything about Imperial Stratagem, but one thing is essential—to know how to make oneself powerful. Once one's power grows to a certain extent, all rules will change with the monarch's every word and deed," Chen Xi said, his expression beguiling. "A monarch relying on Imperial Stratagem to control subordinates can only be deemed unqualified. A true monarch disdains such playthings!"

"Zi...Zichuan," Liu Bei looked at Chen Xi as if he had been frightened, rigid. Imperial Stratagem... to shake out such things, and with such disdain in the eyes.

"Lord Xuande, what is there to fear?" Chen Xi asked calmly, "If it were as written on the Jade Seal, 'entrusted by Heaven with an everlasting fortune,' how would there have been the chaos of Dong Zhuo? It can only be said that initially, they were entrusted by the people and then strayed from the people, only to be ultimately destroyed by the people. The people are like water, the monarch a boat; water can float the boat, but can also capsize it. This cycle has never changed since ancient times."

Chen Xi's words echoed in Liu Bei's mind like the morning bell and evening drum. Many issues he had not understood before became clear. He had seen the people exchanging their children for food during the years of disaster, the drunken oblivion of Luoyang's noble families, soldiers shedding blood on the battlefield for a full meal, and also the wine and music-filled tents of the generals. All these things had unfolded before him.

"Zichuan, you must never speak of these things again!" Liu Bei, having regained his composure, looked deeply at Chen Xi and then said earnestly.

"Did I say anything?" Chen Xi belched after drinking some alcohol, "Lord Xuande, if you have any questions, now is the time to ask."

"How do we take down Mount Tai Commandery, how do we get stronger, how to..." Liu Bei gritted his teeth, "how to pacify this chaotic world!"

Chen Xi smiled slightly, "Pacifying the chaotic world is not something that can be done at the moment. Before that, what we need to do is to become stronger, strong enough. Mount Tai Commandery is a good place, Qingzhou is a good place; with three million bandits, three or four out of ten are able-bodied youths. Taking these people, with a bit of training, if we can't reach the might of Western Qin, at least we can sit back like Tian Qi and watch the war smog of the world!"

"If that's the case, it indeed is a good place, it's just that pacifying it will be quite difficult," Liu Bei sighed and said.

"On the contrary, pacifying them is not very difficult, as long as Lord Xuande can persuade Tao Gongzu to lend us provisions. After taking down Mount Tai Commandery, even swallowing Qingzhou whole wouldn't be too difficult. Those people, given a way out, wouldn't turn to banditry. The most important point is, aside from Bingzhou and the already shattered Qingzhou by the Yellow Turbans and bandit army, the local tyrants and noble families in other places are not something that Lord Xuande can deal with," said Chen Xi, squinting his eyes. He was very clear about the general direction for handling Qingzhou, he could even say he was clear about the general direction for handling all of the Thirteen Provinces of Great Han!

"Since Zichuan is so confident, I am willing to give it a try!" Liu Bei, after hearing Chen Xi's words, made up his mind almost without much thought. Over thirty years of experience had made it clear to Liu Bei that in this era, the power of the noble families and local tyrants was immensely strong, so strong that they could sway imperial authority, not something that he, a minor lord who had not yet come into his own, could touch. To meddle with them was to invite trouble; inadvertently drawing the hostility of noble families and local tyrants would make the future path much more difficult.

"Well then, let's give it a try. We always have to try to find out; without trying, who would know what can't be achieved. Before Xiang Yu defeated Zhang Han, who knew that he could win that battle? We always have to attempt it."

"Noble families, local tyrants, sigh..." Liu Bei sighed, seemingly lost in thought about something.

"Those people are also the foundation, although there are indeed some scum among them, it's undeniable that ninety percent of Great Han's elites come from this stratum. Without an absolute advantage, for now, let's not think about facing this stratum," Chen Xi shook his head and said. To be honest, he didn't have too much ill will towards the noble families and local tyrants, because, in this era, besides land annexation, this stratum was beneficial to the entire country.

The management of the grass-roots level relied on these local tyrants rooted in the land; it was undeniable that there were indeed some scoundrels among them, but to indiscriminately attack everyone would clearly be an even graver mistake. If Chen Xi really eradicated these noble families and local tyrants and had to establish a new system from scratch, the thought alone gave him a headache.

Therefore, the only thing Chen Xi could think of regarding noble families and local tyrants was to limit them and to win some over while striking others. If it truly came to destroying noble families and local tyrants, Chen Xi felt he might as well start by eliminating his own. After all, if treated equally, there were things in the Chen Family that he disapproved of as well.

Since he could not lead by example, Chen Xi extinguished the idea of fighting with the noble families. However, to prevent noble families and local tyrants from grasping Liu Bei's lifeline when he was still weak, forcing Liu Bei to ultimately take harsh measures, Chen Xi initially chose Qingzhou precisely because the local tyrants and noble families there had been essentially cleared out!

That's also why, when Liu Bei asked his questions, Chen Xi almost did not need to think; because even if Kong Rong and Tao Qian didn't recommend him, after supporting the king, Chen Xi would have Liu Bei nominate himself for the position of Governor of Qingzhou! Naturally, he had already considered all the issues long ago!